Mai-Otome Ursprünge
by Tacos For Days
Summary: Set three hundred years after Mai-HiME, this story follows the origins of the Otome and the underlying reason behind the loss of the HiME.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Set three hundred years after Mai-HiME, this story follows archaeologist and explorer Natsuki as she follows a map that leads her into the heart of the Fuuka mountain range. Prot-Otome. Somewhat of an in-universe crossover… sort of.

Disclaimer: I could only hope to own Mai-HiME. If I did, I would never have let The Battle of Fuuka dwindle.

Chapter One

An unforgiving gust of wind carried a sharp cloud of ice into Natsuki's face, causing the young woman to release a hiss that was carried off into the growing darkness. She folded up the shovel after finishing the dugout just next to her lean-to and began to carefully stack wood from a fell tree she had cut. After a few moments, the small ration of tinder caught light and she soon had a crackling fire.

Unconcerned with the size of the flames, she carefully added a few more logs to guarantee being able to bathe this evening. Her sled was mostly cleared of the essentials, including the large basin that she began to fill with snow. Okay, admittedly it isn't a great idea to lug basins around but the mountains of Fuuka were a place of mystery. There was little way for her to guarantee finding a hot spring to wash herself in, so Nastuki resigned herself to instead rely on melting large amounts of snow so that she would be able to keep herself clean of the silt and sweat that often builds up.

Today was no different, she mused. She had been faced with the hard decision of climbing a cliff that stretched sheer for a half mile or taking days to hike around. Instead, Natsuki found herself lugging herself along with the hefty weight of her equipment up into the heart of the mountains, life hanging in the strength of her paracords. Needless to say, Natsuki was very much looking forward to soaking in a tub of warm water to ease her aching body.

While not ideal to venture into the mountains during the cold months, the map that recently came into her possession offered too much of an opportunity to risk waiting for the spring thaw. In a few weeks the weather would turn mild and she would be able to excavate the supposed ruins of the fabled lost Fuuka Gakuen. She shoveled more snow into the simmering basin, filling the tub near the brim.

Another powerful gale pierced through her layers, weaving between the threads of her clothing with a sort of ease that could be considered graceful. She licked her lips and winced at the stinging of her dry, cracked mouth. She dug through her satchel and grabbed a tube of chapstick, leaning closer the the fire to warm its waxy contents.

' _What would I do without you, Mai?'_ she asked the void, rubbing the thawed balm over her lips. The redhead had warned her about the dangers of windburn, going so far as to make a special batch of balms just for this voyage. She'd given Natsuki a list of instructions to go with the various tubes explaining where to rub which wax on skin exposed to the wind. Natsuki found it tucked inside a duffel bag full of dehydrated soups and snacks, a welcome treat compared to the military rations she had loaded up on. She saved those meals for when they spoke, imagining dinner with her roommate again.

It had been weeks since she left Windbloom in search of the legendary resting place of the battle princesses. After the battle of Fuuka, a terrible solar storm had all but wiped out Earth's existing data. While they had mostly regained control of technology, history had fallen into disrepair and the only remains were textbooks from before the collapse.

She looked down at her left arm. The technology to become an Otome was still an experimental one. The only reason she had been allowed access to the program was her connection with Midori and Youko. They had been the ones to tentatively bring it up while dragging a reluctant Natsuki to karaoke after a few hours at the local bar one night when she was back in town from another voyage.

Hours after agreeing, she found herself in a warehouse that had been converted into an intense and even ostentatious obstacle course. Mai, Midori, and Nao stood to Natsuki's right and to her left she measured the unfamiliar faces. Immediately beside her stood a bespectacled woman with what seemed to be dark gray hair. Further down the line she found a brunette, a boisterous blonde, a girl with what seemed to be teal hair, and a handful of hopeful, forgettable faces. The first batch of Otomes geared up to begin training.

Over three months, the women spent most of their free time mastering the obstacle course and subsequently endured the torture of being weighted down more with every successful completion. By the end of the three months, Natsuki found herself somehow gliding across the equipment with ease despite a hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight attached haphazardly to her limbs. As she passed the finish line, she found herself smiling…

...up until being blind-sided with a needle to the neck. She awoke in the medical bay, arm sore and ear throbbing. The device had been uncomfortable at first, a metal bracer on her wrist that worked as an almost-sentient supercomputer and granted her access to the system. The band was fastened to her arm through a subdermal connection, effectively soldering it in place, fused into her skin via metal probes that circulated and recharged the nanomachines rushing through her veins.

The heat from the fire began to fog up her goggles and Natsuki removed them when wiping the lens had no effect. Green eyes blinked away the intense light of the flames. Her breath steamed out in gray puffs.

If not for Garderobe upgrading their central core, Natsuki would have been able to easily overcome the treacherous mountain terrain. As for the moment, she had to make due with her physical strength. Irina was still trying to perfect balancing the external network and power supplication and the core had gone offline a month ago while the headquarters relocated into a new building, including a state-of-the-art laboratory overhaul. The queen had it planned before the researchers had even thought to ask, funneling what seemed to be limitless resources into the program. Natsuki wasn't sure what the budget actually is and didn't care enough to ask. She was in it for the long haul now.

… Plus, if Natsuki were being honest with herself, she worried about the visibility that the snow-laden clouds yielded. The last thing she needed was to flatten herself against the rock face of a mountain.

It had been a few days since she contacted Windbloom and weighed her decision mildly before scoffing and stripping. A low moan escaped her lips as she stepped into the hot water, feeling the caress of warmth as her limbs thawed. Steam rose in long, billowing clouds through the pine tree peaks and mixing with the snow. Her hand idly played with her beacon for a few moments before her earring flared to life.

" _Heyyyyy Natsuuuukiiiiii-chan_ ," came a voice too slow to be sober.

"Midori-san," Natsuki drawled with a voice gravelly from dry air and disuse. "Isn't it a little early to be belligerently drunk?"

" _It's past noon_ ," the older woman's petulant pout was audible in Natsuki's ear. " _Why don't you want me to have any fun? Don't you love me?_ "

"I love you about as much as I love the ice that so kindly keeps me company out here."

" _Oooooooooohhhhhhh Natsukiiiii-chan! Did you find a nice ice woman to keep you occupied?_ "

"I haven't seen a soul since I crossed the border, Midori-san. It's a wasteland out here. A few deer tracks every couple days is all I've noticed, and the wolves at night..." Natsuki paused, puzzling over the words. It was true, she hadn't even seen any birds or rabbits. The place seemed to be suspended in a time of loneliness. The only solace she had was the dream she never remembered. A flash of scarlet and sand appeared behind her eyelids before fizzling out.

" _Is that so surprising? Most people believe the legends, that the place is haunted by the spirits of old_ ," Midori suddenly became serious, all traces of alcohol dissipating from her words. " _I wish you would have waited a few more weeks so I could have joined you. The system should be up soon and you'll be able to materialize. I want to know everything about the ruins when you find them, any sort of technology you find, art, the smell…_ "

Natsuki heard the voice trail off and knew the redhead was drooling at the thought of a new discovery. Amused, she conceded, "I'll be sure to collect mossy rocks so you can taste the mildew."

Midori let out a laugh, " _That's my Kuga-kun,_ " Natsuki sneered, " _want me to see if anyone else is around?_ "

The explorer ran her hand through her hair as she considered making this a long call. She sighed, worrying her lower lip between sharp, white teeth. "No," she finally ventured. "I've gotta get cleaned up and then figure out where I am. Can you check my location and cross reference it with the topography of the map?"

She heard a soft _hum_ and then the clicking of keys. " _It looks like you're not too far now. Only a few hundred meters northwest of you there should be a tunnel. I can't tell if it goes beneath the ocean or a mountain, but after a few miles you should be in the heart of Fuuka._ "

Natsuki clicked her tongue, "That doesn't sound as bad as I expected. The weather is foul and only getting worse. I can barely see a thing, day or night. I'll keep you all appraised."

" _Thanks for calling, Nat-chan,_ " Midori teased her, " _Stay safe."_

"You too," she whispered, disconnecting the call. After a few moments, she huffed and submerged herself under the cooling water. As she emerged, she gasped at the frosty air and leaned over to snag a hot rock from the fire with her tongs. Dropping the stone into her basin with a sizzle, Natsuki was relieved to find that it worked. A few more stones and her hot bath was revitalized. Green eyes gazed pensively into the darkness, weighted by the task ahead of her. Grumbling to herself, she finished washing before reluctantly stepping out of the water's warm embrace and into the unforgiving brutality of the winter storm. Her hair froze almost instantly, and she wasted no time in drying her skin before stepping into the winter furs she had hung up near the flames. The warm pelts comforted her as she crawled into the crude shelter. A wolf howled mournfully as she closed her eyes to the familiarity of scarlet and sand.

A/N: Got back into Mai-HiME and Mai-Otome recently and had this stuck in my head. Might be a two-fer, possibly a whole story arc. I've got some ideas about the Prot-Otome and how Garderobe became the academy it is in Z-HiME. Drop me a line, let me know what you think. Next chapter shouldn't be too far away.


	2. Chapter 2

Natsuki awoke with a snarl, jerking up from her cocoon of wool and furs. Blinking into the still-dark skies, she laughed lightly at her reaction. The dream faded as soon as she opened her eyes, leaving a gaping chasm in her chest. The red lips faded quickly as the stars above flared to life.

She didn't consider herself a romantic by any means. She had never been attracted to anyone other than a simple appraisal of aesthetics. There had never been a searing in her loins or a rush of magma through her veins. She had never felt her heart catch in her throat or her lungs flutter with any expectation. But now, as she lay within the furs that consumed her, she felt a persistent warmth wrap itself inside of her, burrowing deep within the aches of her body. It was foreign and unwelcome, her muscles tensing when the feeling refused to subside. The dreams had gotten worse, more frequent, unyielding in their appearances. Even if she couldn't remember the vision, she felt eyes boring into her very soul.

Regret slammed into her as soon as she leapt out of the furs. The frigid air wove within every flaw in her sleeping skins, breeze tickling the hair against her skin. She slowly set up a small fire, warming a pot of water as she set about taking down her camp. She heard the water roaring as she finished strapping her sled together and made a move to place the boiling liquid into a french press. Coffee would make the days better, as it always had.

She tore into her military ration with shaking fingers, opening the thick packets and tins with trepidation. Rations weren't the most appetizing meals but they kept her full of protein and carbs, two things she found very necessary in the unyielding winter storm. Only, the skies were clear now. The snow whipping across her face was carried by the gales of wind, not by the force of gravity. Unfortunately, now that the snow had died down, the cold was working in full force, piercing through every barrier to kiss her skin.

Natsuki sighed into her mug of coffee, the stone cup warming her hands in a way the furs never would. She wished she could have taken her bike on this journey, but extreme temperatures were known to cause… problems… and she wasn't ready to burst into flames just yet.

Once her mediocre breakfast was over and she had poured the remainder of her brewed coffee into the insulated camelbak under her fur wrapping, Natsuki set off across the frozen tundra, heading Northwest. Beneath the goggles, her eyes skimmed the landscape for any sign of a tunnel as she trekked across the plains.

Moving through snow was very similar to the slowed movement in sand. It was the desert she had first passed through on her way to the mountain range, but there the sun scorched. The change in climate had been swift once she tumbled down the final sand dune and into the snow. As if the border between the lands was more than a line on a map, Fuuka lived by its own seasons.

She must have been walking for over an hour by the time she fell into what felt like a trap. The ice below her _cracked_ and splintered before caving in entirely. She gasped as her body dropped, stomach leaping to her mouth. The icy cavern carried her down and forward, into a darkness she couldn't fathom. When she finally stopped sliding, her eyes were shut and her breathing ragged and labored.

She lay in silence for an unknown amount of time,simply enjoying the warm breeze that caressed her face. Green eyes snapped open. _Warm breeze?_

It was dark other than veins of blue ore that glowed unnaturally in the stone of the cavern. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. It was beautiful. A dangerous beauty that she couldn't comprehend. There was a tunnel ahead of her, and the faintest hint of light teased her from the distance. How far did she fall? Where did she fall? It wasn't hot, but it was a far cry from the frigid bitch that the mountains had been. The air was tepid, almost musty with the scent of small puddles that lingered beneath stalactites. Every few moments another drop of water fell, hitting the water with a musical grace.

Natsuki sat up, wincing at the pain in her back. This wasn't her idea of a good time… but… something about the cave was familiar as though she had been there before. She carefully snapped pictures of the cave's walls and roof for Midori's spank bank and transferred them to Garderobe's database. She didn't notice the symbol that flared to life on the ceiling above her.

The final photograph was taken in the middle of the room on a crystal that allowed the view to stretch into a real-time panoramic. She popped the crystal into the divot on her wrist, watching it begin to glow and dissipate into nothing. The _ping_ of a message received signaled her to head towards the exit.

As she collected her things and guaranteed that nothing had broken during the tumble, Natsuki hoisted the reins of her sled over her shoulder and walked towards the mouth of the tunnel. It was harder than she expected to drag the damned thing over loose rocks and uneven ground, the friction grating on her last nerve. It must have been well passed midday and she didn't want to think about how far off track this detour took her.

It became apparent from the moment she passed the threshold of the cave that the light she had seen earlier was not daylight. Instead, Natsuki found herself trudging through a tunnel with pulsating veins of ore intricately woven through the stone. She wasn't sure how far she walked, but the labyrinth didn't seem to have an end in sight. It was as though she were descending into something deeper, a mythical underworld where she would meet her fate. She let out a snort. She could imagine Nao cackling at the revelation that Natsuki had fallen into a cave and perished. _What an asshole,_ she huffed.

It must have been another hour before she reached the dead end. Frustration prickled the back of her neck and she could feel the heat rush to her face. The door was a heavy metal, and far larger than any she had seen before. With a raw yell, Natsuki dropped the leather straps of her sled and swung her fist at the door. Just as the two impacted, a dull _clang_ rang out and the doors groaned, cracking open with a horribly high-pitched screech.

Natsuki stumbled back and fell onto her sled, crying out as her hands came up to protect her eyes from the blinding light.

 **A/N: Can't believe how many views I snagged in the first day of publishing. Sorry how slow I'm moving with this, I'm trying to stay invested and keeping my motivation up. Don't worry, things will start to pick up. I've got a lot of ideas with this story and it looks like it'll be something deep, maybe a look at how Mai-Otome became what it is today and where HiME plays into the whole universe. After all… how did the star turn blue?**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think of it so far. Questions, comments, concerns, etc. I haven't proofread it so if there are any glaring errors that's my bad… sorry!**

 **Tacos For Days**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and favorites and follows. Nice to know some of you are keeping with me even now. I'm posting this from my phone so I'll have to go back and fix any glaring formatting errors. Without further ado, chapter three.**

Natsuki released her breath. It could have been hours since the doors had opened with a sickening squeal, but she was sure it was only a few moments. Her breath was haggard in anticipation of the bitter and brittle winter air, but the slam of snow never reached her.

Tentatively, she opened her eyes and lowered her arms, squinting against the setting sun. The air was mild. (By no means particularly warm, but could be considered springtime, all things considered.) Suddenly her furs felt warm. With a deft hand, she removed the outermost layers of her clothing. Peeling the skins off of her sweaty skin, she swore she could hear the cold release of a canned iced coffee.

The cavern had let out to a small overhang that looked over a bay and the ruins of a forgotten city. While not nearly as decrepit as the other metropolitan areas Natsuki had seen, she would bet the lack of looters was mostly thanks to isolation. As far as anyone knew, the mountains of Fuuka had a winter weather anomaly stretching across its sprawling range. The clear skies here only betrayed a hint of any storm on the horizon. The bay was shimmering and despite apparent battle scars, the land was thriving in greenery. Trees and vines flowered even in the early January sun, as if the earth's rotation had nothing to do with its blossom.

Natsuki donned her spring leathers and aviator jacket; still offering her skintight mobility, they had an extra layer of soft insulation that broke wind and recycled her body heat. Unsure of what to do nexàt, Natsuki hid her sled within the nearby brush, keeping only her guns, a skinning knife, a small hatchet, and a satchel containing a bit of kindling, her flint and steel, a water bottle, and a sack of jerky that Midori had given her, a souvenir of her expedition in the southwest islands. Within the satchel was also a bag of small electronic drones that created a three-dimensional map when enough are in position to do an area sweep.

Determined to get a start on the next day, Natsuki had a swig of her water bottle and set off along the foothill.

" _Stay where you are, Nat-chan,_ " the voice in her ear startled her and she nearly fell down the slope. " _We need to get an analysis on that mapping you sent in. A few of us are dropping in for a mobile lab and reconnaissance. Hope you don't mind the company, I can tell you like to keep up the 'lone wolf' image._ "

Natsuki let out a genuine laugh as a wave of relief washed over her. "As much as I do appreciate your concern over my reputation, I feel like I could do for some real human interaction."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake.

" _Oh, does Nat-chan want some real loving after her long and arduous journey? I know how it is on the road, all of the sexual tens-_ "

"Sh-shut up! You know that's not what I meant!"

" _Your words say 'no' but we both know what the real answer is,_ " Midori purred, her cattish smile audible even now.

"I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened and find you a clearing to land in. Wait for the distress signal before you launch."

" _Sure thing, Nat-chan. Stay sharp._ "

Midori's last words raised a feeling of unease within Natsuki's core that spread throughout her like she'd had a few shots too many. Trying to ignore her unsettled stomach and shake off invisible eyes that watched her, she began to backtrack towards the small prairie she'd passed earlier.

As she jogged along the forest ground, she realised she'd never asked Midori how they planned to get to her location. Perhaps they'd commissioned a plane for airdrop? The storm would upset most electrical engines and cause untold turbulence. Garderobe was clever, though. The engineers and scientists knew what they were doing and no doubt it would work… eventually. Natsuki just hoped it wasn't going to be a catastrophic attempt.

Once she was on the outskirts of the field, Natsuki took out the small homing beacon and turned its switch to activate the beacon and blue flashing light. Taking a small running start, she pulled her arm back and lobbed the box towards the center of the clearing and hunkered down to wait.

The sun had almost set by the time she saw it: an arc of light to the south, stretching over the clouds. Seamless, it rose to a crescendo, soaring across the sky before it seemed to stop, resting amongst the stars.

Natsuki took a moment to enjoy the spectacle before her synapses began to go into overdrive. The light hadn't stilled at all. In fact, it seemed to grow larger by the moment. She sucked in a quick breath. It was coming towards her. Holy shit. She was about to get blown apart by some cruel act of the universe. A last joke. Her legs rooted her to the spot despite the dread pooling in her stomach.

It seemed to be an eternity before the light reached her. She realised after a moment of bewilderment that there was a parachute attached to a large metal capsule, which promptly began to hiss, steam, and release-revealing four women and an obscenely large vehicle strapped down, the former seemingly dazed and some a bit nauseous.

Natsuki stepped forward from the treeline with a smirk, "I have to admit, that was one of the more impressive entrances I've seen. I just don't know how you guys managed to hitch a ride on a rocket."

Mai, who had already gotten herself unstrapped and unhooked from the safety cage, stood with a smile and ran to greet her friend with a hug. "Natsuki-chan! I've missed you!"

"Those leathers look good on you, Kuga-san," Chie added with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

It was Youko who acknowledged Natsuki's question, "We've been working on repurposing decommissioned nuclear missiles for a while, but right now I would have been fine with taking our chances on breeding mammoths instead."

"It was fast, right?" Midori piped in after struggling longer than the others with her buckles and bands. Finally getting a look at Natsuki, she let out a low whistle and growled. "You are looking sexy. Rough rider Kuga-san, warrior of the land, lone wolf. Rawr."

"So, um, what is that thing supposed to be?" Natsuki asked quickly to hide her blush, gesturing to the beast of a vehicle. "It looks big enough to swallow a house."

"Ah…," Midori scratched her cheek. "That's luggage. And our lab. Figured we'd be staying for a bit, yeah?"

As always, Natsuki felt like Midori knew more than she was letting on. Eyeing her with suspicion, the raven-haired woman nodded after a moment of consideration, tossing a look towards the rock face of the mountain. "That's where the cave is. The forest gets pretty dense though, so we might want to head out on foot."

"When we get there we can set up camp and I'll start on dinner," Mai offered and several stomachs began to growl in unison.

Daydreams of supper were interrupted at a deafening roar. Midori popped her head out of the window and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you guys coming or what? We made this thing to be unstoppable, a few trees should be no problem."

 **A/N: I wrote most of this on my friend's couch at 4am Saturday morning. I feel like I'm rambling through most of this story, so thanks for bearing with my madness. I'm pulling most of this knowledge out of my ass, so everything technical should be taken with a grain of salt and please forgive me for continuity errors. I'm going to go through these first few and revise them in the coming weeks just to tweak them. I'm sort of writing this as I go because plans intimidate me.**

 **Drop a line and let me know what you think.**

 **Tacos**


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